This can be sped up by using a block cutter or guillotine that tightens to the paver and a lever is pushed down to break the paver along that cut line. After that, I set my pipes inbetween the edging and screed a inch of stone dust. To make the work easier, you can use strings and stakes to sketch out your curve with a marker on the paver stones. Place a ruler onto your paver and draw a line on the top to mark off the region that needs to be cut. For a level, smooth surface to lay your pavers on, place two one-inch-diameter PVC pipes on the gravel. Then, dig out and level the surface by spreading sand. Especially when taking the time to create curves that contrast the square or rectangular materials. I prepped the patio brick using a piece of paper to determine the cut, which i transfered to the brick. If you need to make a lot of cuts, it might be best to rent a wet saw or a brick/paver splitter. If you are drawing the outline the day before you plan to install the border, use spray paint to ensure the line won't be disturbed by water or pets. Use a garden hose to lay out a gently curved outline for your flowerbed, according to your sketched plan. (& Is It Strong? Make sure they extend beyond the final finished area. You can then draw a line from that mark to the corner of the paver on the opposite end and those are the lines you would cut in order to fit tightly against your initial border stone. below the top of the sidewalk to allow room for the bricks and about an inch of sand. You can cut pavers of virtually anykind with a power saw as long as you use the correct blade. Maintain the look with routine edging with a string trimmer. This post may contain affiliate links. Start from one side of the permanent edge and lay pavers in a row. Since theres a good chance youll have to cut the last brick to fit, start with a full brick in the most visible location and plan to finish in the least conspicuous spot. It is always important when planning a project with curves that you account for at least 15% waste for these cuts and sometimes upwards of 25% waste. Complete the project by filling the trench behind the bricks with some of the soil you removed earlier. Step 5: Once each side is cut, you can either tap the scrap portion with a hammer or tap inside the cut line with a chisel, and you should have a clean break along your cuts. The vibration will cause the dry sand to fill the cracks and lock the bricks tightly together. Then spread sand over them and work it into the cracks with a broom. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. The rugged materials will allow space for some variance in perfection. Gradually increasing depth as you run along the curve will allow for a smooth cut. These saws are especially handy on stone pavers, which can be time-consuming and tedious to cut manually with a hammer and chisel, but theyre also a good choice for cutting softer pavers if you have a lot to cut. Holly D'Anna is a food and home writer who has been writing for Better Homes & Gardens for over four years. Hit the chisel sharply with the hammer to break the paver along the grooved line. Typically for a demo saw this is going to be able 1/8. Mark the front, back, and sides of the paverthe cutline must run all the way around because youll need to score all four sides. Turn on the saw and let it come up to full speed. Tony Hoang is a Landscaper and the Principal at H&J Landscaping & Concrete Contractor in Newark, CA. Its not necessary to cut the sides. A hammer and chisel works well on relatively soft pavers, such as brick or concrete. When it comes to cover outdoor surfaces, people instantly think about pavers, since they are very beautiful, durable, and can boost your home value instantly. Have the gravel dumped on the driveway where its easier to shovel up. In this case, you need to cut a 1 by 7 inch (2.5 by 17.8cm) piece from the longer side of your paver. If youre lucky enough to have a full-service landscape supplier in your area, you can order all your materials there. Before cutting pavers, make sure you've measured your space and know what size you want. In either case, be sure to use a diamond blade made for masonry and stone. Loosen soil, then make clean cuts, using a digging fork or a bed-edging tool (designed with a sharp, curved blade specifically for this task). Additionally, when you are marking your cuts you will want to consider the thickness of the blade. [5] Don't draw side lines on your paveryou don't need to cut along them. So, lets talk about cutting pavers for curves with the versatile, easy-to-use angle grinder. Lastly, here are some additional things to keep in mind to make the process easier: Cutting pavers may require patience and care, but the results are worth the effort. If you dont have any experience doing this, you can cut the pavers one by one or call a professional to do the project for you. Home Outdoors Yard & Garden Structures Paths. All standard cutting methods work for straight cuts, but for curved cuts, use a circular saw or angle grinder. Cutting Pavers with Power Tools If you are comfortable with power tools, they can take some of the guesswork and luck out of cutting your pavers or blocks. Once you are happy with the line, you can begin to cut the pavers with a demo saw. This dust will need to be blown off the surface of these areas to avoid causing a further mess. Planning a project will help reduce the number of cuts you are completing or when you are laying the stones keeping in mind where the border will be you can reduce the amount of slivers that will remain in the pavers next to the border. Youll make the pavers flush later by tamping them down into the sand bed. Regardless if you are cutting dry with a vacuum system or not or wet cutting, you will want to wear safety glasses and dust masks. Pavers are great alternatives to large pieces of plain concrete. If you only need to cut a few, a hammer and chisel can be employed, but if cutting many pavers, a power saw, such as an angle grinder or a circular saw, is recommended to speed up the process. If you'd like to learn more about pavers, check out our in-depth interview with Tony Hoang. The safety equipment required for the work is working gloves, protection glasses, and a dust mask. The plywood should extend below the 24 the thickness of the paver brick plus 3/4 in. If necessary, chip away any uneven or protruding bits from the center of the broken paver with the brick-set and a hammer. will make you feel like they do. All standard cutting methods work for straight cuts, but for curved cuts, use a circular saw or angle grinder. Once the shape is completely marked, you can remove and cut each paver, replacing it before moving on to the next. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Pull down sharply on the handle of the tool to split the paver. A 4-inch blade will give you more mobility within the curve. Homes dont clean themselves. If your grass isnt worth saving, just dig it out and plan to buy a few rolls of sod instead. Wear a dust mask when cutting pavers with a power saw. His experience includes professionally working as a mason and tile setter in Maine and Hawaii. Following your line, dig a trench slightly deeper than the height of your bricks when they are lying flat (usually about 3-4 inches). Realtor.com, Copyright 2023 National Association of Realtors, 9 Stunning Trees with Colorful Curb Appeal, 13 Small (and Affordable) Home Upgrades for Big Impact, Home Improvement ROI: A Room-by-Room Tour, The Everything Guide to Selling Your First Home, 7 Home Improvement Ideas That Stretch Your Dollars the Most, The 16 Incredibly Useful Rules Every Organized House Follows, 9 Tips from a Burglar on How to Keep Them Out of Your House, 4 Things to Do in February to Avoid a Yucky Spring. Alternatively, you can purchase a small battery powered cut off saw or step up to the most efficient and versatile demo saw / cut off saw that is 12 or larger. You can also clamp the paver to your work surface, if desired. For that reason, a mansory blade is highly recommended. Your blade should be a diamond blade that is rated for the hardness of the stone that you will be cutting. Make a full straight cut that is tangential to (touching) the scored line, and break off the bulk of the waste. Remove several inches of soil from the landscaping side of the flat wall to . 5. Position the paver on the base of the tool so the marked line is aligned with the splitter's cutting edge. Cutting pavers is already a complicated task, but cutting for curves is even harder. Otherwise, it creates a cloud of dense silica dust that can harm your lungs. Next, install plastic paver edging behind the bricks to hold them in place. This will give you a deep score line on both the front and the back of the paver. Most pavers are 2 3/8 or thicker so you will want to ensure you purchase a grinder that is able to cut that depth in one pass. To figure out how much to cut from each, arrange a half-dozen pavers along the curve with the ends touching and estimate the gap between them. This option may disrupt or damage the surface, and these industrial tools may not be readily available. In addition to a shovel and rake, youll need a wheelbarrow, tamper and some scraps of lumber and basic carpentry tools to construct the screeds. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Regardless of the method you use to cut them, there is always a risk of small chips getting in your eyes. Step 2: Set the marked paver up on supports (other pavers will work well) with the marked area over the space between the supports. Saw along the marked line on the front and on the back of the paver. Level the pipes. Put a rubber mat or small carpet under the paver to prevent it from moving. Press the edging against the bricks and drive 10-in. It also may withstand weathering and traffic better because of the tighter bond created by close-fitting pieces. You would cut each paver individually and measure after each cut paver has been placed. He is a certified lead carpenter and also holds a certification from the EPA. Its usually cheaper and easier to simply order bags of sand rather than have a small quantity delivered. One major benefit of using a plastic edge restraint is that it is made for a curved edge rather than one that is just a straight line with 90 corners. Youll also need enough 10-in.-long spikes to install one every 12 in. Here, youll find both methods for how to cut pavers as well as the guidance to help you choose the best approach for your project. Step 3: Time to cut the pavers. Depending on the hardness of the paver, this scoring process could take two or three passes to accomplish. There are a few power-tool options that could be used. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. This technique works whether you have one or several steps. If you don't have a step nearby, firmly hit the tip of the paver onto a flat, concrete surface. We rented a sod cutter to slice a neat layer of grass from along the edge of the sidewalk, but a flat shovel will also work. The fill provides a stable base to keep the brick border from shifting. Her work has also been featured in the Epoch Times. 3 Attach a diamond masonry blade to your power saw. When youre done digging, rake the bottom of the trench smooth and compact it with the hand tamper for driveway edging pavers. If the blade isnt labeled for stone, it wont cut through the pavers. Tamp it down using a plate compactor or hand tamper. Cutting paving stones for a project is more normal than more people think, especially for areas that have curves, and for obvious reasons, cutting pavers for rounded shape projects is more complicated than straight cuts. Lay the pavers beyond the main body of your installation and into the border area. Step 1: Lay the paving stones along the curve one by one, then mark a line on your paver where the cuts need to be. A larger blade will not allow you to follow the curved lines easily. Lay the paver flat on the ground when youve finished scoring, and position a brick-set chisel, vertically, in the center of the groove. However whenever you are using a rectangular border paver for curved projects, you will need to find the best possible scenario to allow that border stone to curve. Construct another screed and use it to level the sand. Scoop out the excess soil and grass. Don't hesitate to trim the trench a bit here or there as you cut the edge to smooth curves or alter the garden bed shape. Here are other tips for a successful project. In this case, you need to cut a 1 by 9 inch (2.5 by 22.9cm) piece from the longest side of your paver. Clay pavers have a rich, authentic look, but cement pavers are a little less expensive. Using a string and stake, sketch out your curve with a marker on the paver stones. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Position your bricks end to end, pushing them tightly together to discourage grass from growing in the cracks. Remember to score your lines on the curve prior to attempting further cuts so you never lose your line. If the area is to have some straight lines, use an edge restraint to clearly mark them. Sign up for our newsletter! Set the paver flat on your work surface, and gently but firmly, tap the waste portion of the paver with a hammer to break the paver along the cutting line. Take time to be cautious while working with the pavers not only will you get better results, but you may prevent injury and have less material waste. Install the outer layer of brick edging. Saw along the marked line on the front and. This will help to prevent the blade from becoming blunt too quickly. This minimizes subtle changes in height/slope between sections. Here you can change your privacy preferences. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. Start by scraping the extra sand out from behind the bricks so the edging will rest on the compacted fill. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. The water mixed with the dust will create a slurry that will harden to the surface of the pavers if not rinsed off. Only spread as much gravel base and leveling sand as you think you can cover with pavers in a day (you dont want it getting rained on). There is nothing like the rugged beauty of a patio or walkway built with pavers. above the surface of the sidewalk. For example, your installation location might be a 7 by 7 inch (18 by 18cm) square and your paver 7 by 8 inches (18 by 20cm). Even out jagged edges with a hammer and 1 inch (2.5cm) wide cold chisel. When you visit our website, it may store information through your browser from specific services, usually in form of cookies. Scoop out the excess soil and grass. It's much easier if you have numerous people to help with this task. Next, spread a layer of sand a little deeper than 1 in. Plant landscaping plants inside the new border and add extra soil as needed. Chip away at any uneven bits using your brick-set and hammer. Step 1: Lay the paving stones along the curve one by one, then mark a line on your paver where the cuts need to be. Adding mulch will help keep the dirt inside the border in the case of heavy rain. Creating this curvature, however, can be challenging and take some time. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ed\/Cut-Pavers-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Cut-Pavers-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ed\/Cut-Pavers-Step-1.jpg\/aid10389921-v4-728px-Cut-Pavers-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"